Perspective of a District Administrator: Doing Antiracist Work With Uneasy Teachers and Administrators

• In Event: Listening and Learning: Educational Stakeholders' Reflections and Perspectives on Implementing an Antiracist Curriculum for Middle-Schoolers

Abstract

Anti-racist curriculum that focuses on highlighting the agency, excellence, joy, resistance, and humanity of people who have been historically marginalized while encouraging an exploration of racism and injustice has the power to transform society by encouraging students to see the humanity of BIPOC individuals and take informed civic action to create a more just society. It's more important than ever to implement an anti-racist curriculum in the current socio-political context. By historically contextualizing the current attempts to censor anti-racist instruction, students can better understand the current movement as the newest iteration of racism, which allows us to resist by taking action to continue with anti-racist instruction. At the same time, it is important to develop clear and consistent messaging around the anti-racist approach, engage with communities/families and other stakeholders, and provide the safety that teachers need to implement this approach.
Without clarity of messaging and safety for educators, the approach is difficult, if not impossible, to implement given the pressures (from media, families, and other stakeholders) on teachers to self-censor and continue with the status quo. This paper will discuss the challenges faced from the perspective of a district-level administrator who had to balance the explicit anti-racist goals of the district against the implicit messages they received imploring them to “not make trouble”. Using an autobiographical lens, the presenter will discuss their positionality as a White woman leading the design and implementation of this work in an increasingly racially and socio-economically diverse environment. Due to the changing demographics, there was backlash (sometimes referred to as whitelash) against curricular materials leaving teachers in a state of fear and fellow district leaders in complicated positions of having to attend to parents’ wishes and teachers’ needs. The presenter will discuss what steps were taken to resist for the sake of students’ liberation as well as their own liberation. In addition, proactive solutions for other educational contexts will be discussed (316).

Author

• Neeley Minton, Albemarle County Public Schools